Chicken Adobo x Phil

Backstory: "Not Everything's in Manhattan"

Chicken Adobo is one of the very first things I cooked after moving to New York. After realizing no one was gonna cook for me, (read: no parents around) I wanted to try something that tasted familiar. Made for my friend Thuy's friend's potluck, I packed it in a heavy Pyrex container and lugged into to the given address in Manhattan. ...Only to find that, when I got there, the address I was *supposed* to be at was a BROOKLYN address. So I had two choices: either I could take the Adobo home, eat it all by myself for the next month and end up resenting the dish, or find the correct address and take it to its original destination. I decided to go with the latter. So, a few hours and a few more erroneous train transfers later, I finally made it to the potluck--albeit late--but still in time to feed the drunken and hungry masses.

  Chicken Adobo

2-3 heads of garlic, chopped

2-3 tbsp oil

1.25 - 1.75 lbs chicken--any cut

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 soy sauce

2-3 bay leaves

5-8 whole peppercorns

1-2 tsp ground pepper

1. Rinse the chicken under cold water and rub some salt and the juice of one lemon all over. Pat dry.

2. In a large pot with a lid, heat oil over medium. When it begins to shimmer, drop in the garlic until it begins to brown a little. Then, put in the chicken and continue to flip till they're brown on all sides. 

3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. 

4. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or when chicken is tender.

5. Serve over rice.

Notes:

--Adjust amount of soy sauce and vinegar to taste.

--To sweeten the recipe, add 1/4 cup of Ginger Ale (or to taste) in the last 5 min of cooking.

--A friend recommended adding a few teaspoons of oyster sauce to deepen the color of the sauce. 

--This is one of those recipes that tastes even better the next day and next. 

Enjoy!